Krankheitsprognose,psychosoziale Belastung und Einstellung von Melanompatienten zu unterstützenden psychotherapeutischen Maßnahmen

Zusammenfassung Bei 205 Melanompatienten im Stadium I und II wurden das Ausma? der psychosozialen Belastung und der sozialen Unterstützung sowie die Einstellung der Patienten zu unterstützenden Gespr?chsangeboten erhoben. 59% der Patienten fanden zus?tzliche unterstützende Gespr?che mit dem behandelnden Dermatologen, 20% mit einem Psychotherapeuten sinnvoll. Patienten, die starke Angst vor einem Fortschreiten des Tumors ?u?erten und die sich über die Erkrankung nicht ausreichend aufgekl?rt fühlten, wünschten Gespr?che mit dem behandelnden Arzt. Patienten, die sich psychosozial st?rker belastet fühlten und sozial weniger Unterstützung durch ihr soziales Umfeld angaben, befürworteten Unterstützung durch einen Psychotherapeuten. Auch eine ungünstige Prognose scheint das Interesse an psychotherapeutischer Unterstützung zu verst?rken. Eingegangen am 13. Januar 1995 Angenommen am 23. August 1995     

Renal growth after neonatal urinary tract infection

This study presents the result of 12–21 years' follow-up in a group of children with neonatal urinary tract infection (onset within 1 month after birth) in whom early renal growth retardation was noted without concomitant classical renal scarring. In all cases the neonatal infection was diagnosed and treated within a few days of onset and the patients were closely supervised thereafter. Renal length, parenchymal thickness and area were measured at urography. At first follow-up (22 children, mean age 4.1 years) a significant reduction of renal parenchymal thickness was noted. Long-term follow-up (18 patients, mean age 17 years) demonstrated a normalization of renal size in the entire group, although less complete in the subgroup with reflux. There were two major findings in the present study. Firstly, renal growth retardation was seen after neonatal infection, both with and without reflux. Secondly, normalization of renal size in previously small kidneys was demonstrated, suggesting that growth retardation can be a reversible phenomenon. The tendency for such normalization was slightly more marked in children without reflux. Reduction of parenchymal thickness without calyceal deformity, therefore, does not necessarily mean irreversible damage, and differentiation between permanent scarring and temporary growth retardation can thus only be made at later follow-up, possibly not until after puberty. The demonstration of renal growth retardation in spite of early diagnosis and treatment emphasizes the great vulnerability of the kidney in the newborn.     

Comparison of local and general anesthesia in tension-free (Lichtenstein) hernioplasty: a prospective randomized trial

To compare pulmonary effects, postoperative pain and fatigue, morbidity, patient satisfaction, and cost of different anesthetic techniques for inguinal hernia repair, 50 patients were randomized to local and general anesthesia groups (LA and GA). All patients received the same premedications and the same postoperative analgesic regimen. The standardized postoperative analgesic, intramuscular pyroxicam 20 mg, was given to all patients in the recovery room and an additional 20 mg on the same day was given as requested by each patient. Pulmonary function studies and arterial blood gas analysis were performed 1 h prior to the operation and at the postoperative 8th and 24th hours. All patients underwent Lichtenstein's tension-free hernioplasty. Postoperative pain and fatigue were registered 8 h and 24 h after the operation. A questionnaire was filled out by the patients, and they were asked to give grades for the general comfort of the anesthesia and the surgical procedure (1=worst, 10=best). Postoperative pulmonary function tests were significantly poorer in the GA group both on 8th- and 24th-hour measurements (P<0.05). Patients who underwent LA had significantly lower PCO₂ and higher PO₂ at the postoperative 8th hour (P<0.05). Mean postoperative pain and fatigue scores revealed a significant difference in favor of local anesthesia at only the 8th hour (P<0.05). There were two complications, one in each group (a hematoma in LA and a urinary retention in GA). Patient satisfaction grades were not different in the two groups. We conclude that LA in inguinal hernia repair does not adversely affect pulmonary functions, patients feel less pain, and patient satisfaction is comparable to that with GA. Electronic Publication     

Hormone dependency and histological types of prostatic carcinoma

In comparative histological and cytological studies on 270 prostatic carcinoma patients highly and moderately differentiated tumors were found to be more frequent histologically than cytologically. An early and reliable sign of response to hormone therapy proved to be reticularization and vacuolization of the nuclear chromatin. Follow-up studies by means of multiple aspiration biopsies with cytologic examinations seem to be more reliable in prognostic terms than examination of the histological tumor structure.     

271. Tuberkulose nach lebertransplantation

Zusammenfassung Bei einem 55jährigen Mann wurde 7 Monate nach orthotoper Lebertransplantation eine Lungentuberkulose diagnostiziert. Die tuberculostatische Therapie erfolgte mit Isoniazid (3 x 0,2 g/Wo) und Ethambutol (1,6 g/d) über 11 Monate. Nach 3 Monaten waren keine Mycobakte rien mehr nachweisbar, und der Patient ist im 3. Jahr nach Transplantation ohne Zeichen einer aktiven Tuberkulose in gutem Gesundheitszustand bei guter Transplantatfunktion. Die Tuberculostatica-Dosierung sollte je nach Metabolisierungsleistung des Transplantats reduziert werden. Bei Beachtung dieses Kardinalpunktes könnte eine Tuberkulose nach Lebertransplantation erfolgreich behandelt werden.     

Angiotensin-converting enzyme in sarcoid and chalazion granulomas of the conjunctiva

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was studied immunohistochemically in conjunctival biopsies from 6 patients with systemic sarcoidosis, 4 patients with posterior non-sarcoid uveitis and in specimens from 4 patients with chalazion of the eyelid. Specimens with sarcoid granulomas showed intense ACE-positive immunoreactivity in epitheloid cells of the granuloma, whereas chalazion granulomas did not contain ACE-immunoreactivity. There was no difference in staining patterns between specimens without granulomas. Thus immunohistochemical staining for ACE may be of help in differentiating conjunctival granulomatous tissue of a chalazion from sarcoid granuloma.     

Acute leukaemia in a defined geographic area – Incidence,clinical history and prognosis

A consecutive series of patients (1978–1981) comprising all patients with acute leukaemia from a population of 475000 inhabitants was reviewed. Thus, 94 patients were diagnosed as having acute leukaemia. No patients were lost from follow-up. The incidence figures of ALL and AML differed significantly from those of Sweden as a whole. 9 patients were < 15 years old. The median age of adult patients was 64 years, 60.8% being ≥ 60 years old. Of adult patients with AML, 20% had a preleukaemic history (chronic myeloproliferative disorders, myelodysplastic syndromes and others). None of 6 patients with leukaemia as a metamorphosis of a chronic myeloproliferative disorder achieved a complete remission. The overall remission rate of the remaining adult patients was 25%. Treated patients, 15–39 years old, with AML without any preleukaemic history, had a complete remission rate of 80% compared to 12% for patients ≥ 60 years old with the same diagnosis. Of 60 patients with ‘primary’ AML, 14 were not treated, mainly because of advanced age and complicating diseases. Most of these patients died within a week of admission.     

HLA-DPB1 gene polymorphism and multiple sclerosis: a large case-control study in the southwest of France

The polymorphism at the HLA-DPB1 locus has been characterized in a large number of patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 112) and in healthy controls (n = 115). Both patients and controls lived in the southwest of France (in the Pyrénées Atlantiques) and had similar ethnic background. The typing procedure involved the selective amplification of the second exon of the DPB1 locus by polymerase chain reaction, followed by hybridization of the amplified DNA with 14 sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. Individual alleles were identified by the pattern of hybridization of the different probes. The distribution of the DPB1 alleles was not significantly different in multiple sclerosis patients and controls (p = 0.11). This does not corroborate the reported association of multiple sclerosis with the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT)-defined DPw4 specificity and is not in favour of a role played by polymorphic residues of the DP molecule in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis.     

Prophylactic nasal continuous positive airway pressure after major vascular surgery: results of a prospective randomized trial

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) as a prophylactic method for preventing cardiopulmonary complications after major vascular surgery has not been investigated. PATIENTS/METHODS: In a prospective randomized trial, 204 patients undergoing elective midline laparotomy for vascular surgery were randomized to receive standard therapy ( n=105) or additional prophylactic nCPAP ( n=99) for the first postoperative night. Postoperative oxygenation, incidence of severe cardiac, and pulmonary complications, length of intensive care surveillance and length of total postoperative hospital stay (LOS) were compared. RESULTS: Prophylactic nCPAP significantly reduced the number of patients with severe oxygenation disturbances defined as paO(2) < 70 mmHg with FiO(2) > or = 0.7 (5 versus 17, P=.01). There were no differences with respect to death, cardiac and pulmonary complications, length of intensive care surveillance or LOS. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic 12 h nCPAP significantly reduces the occurrence of postoperative oxygenation disturbances but has no effect on cardiac or pulmonary complications, need for intensive care, LOS or mortality after major vascular surgery.